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As part of my PhD research, I have been involved in developing highly efficacious frameworks for monitoring health parameters using only a single RGB camera positioned at a distance from the subject. My research has focused on two critical health parameters from a medical perspective: heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR). This underlying texts provides a brief description of the work, including a description of the prior context.
Contactless Heart and Respiratory Rates Monitoring using an RGB Camera in Realistic Scenarios
Heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) are two crucial health parameters. Recent technological advancements have indicated the potential of general-purpose RGB cameras to capture these key health indicators without any physical contact. This can be accomplished by tracking skin color variation induced by the volumetric changes in the blood or cardiorespiratory-induced body motion in successive video frames. However, this experimental feat grapples with accuracy issues, particularly in realistic scenarios, constraining its applicability in diverse conditions present in the real world. This brief note on my PhD research contributions highlights the endeavours dedicated to the development of effective frameworks for HR and RR assessments in realistic conditions. To this end, my research work introduces two effective frameworks, including CPulse, for extracting HR information and OPOIRES for RR estimation from facial RGB videos and a newly created dataset (X) featuring videos with several day-to-day scenarios.
As publicly accessible data predominantly includes subjects with low skin melanin content and constrained recording scenarios, posing a significant obstacle to developing and testing algorithms in real-world conditions, the work include the introduction of the meticulously acquired (X) dataset. It comprises facial videos captured in diverse practical scenarios with a wide spectrum of skin colors and accompanying physiological parameters from 45 individuals across various regions in India. Furthermore, the research outcome presents CPulse—a novel, effective end-to-end automated methodological framework that utilizes signal processing methods, including homomorphic filtering and empirical wavelet transform, for accurate and reliable HR measurement from RGB videos. The framework is tested over numerous recordings from different datasets featuring a variety of facial features and diverse recording conditions. The performance results are satisfactory in terms of accuracy, computational viability, and tolerance to skin tone variation. However, performance degradation due to extreme head and facial motion is noted. Consequently, another algorithm, is developed to alleviate multiple accuracy-limiting agents by integrating advanced computer-vision algorithms and employing an effective face-conforming mask to isolate informative pixels in the frame. The algorithm undergoes comprehensive testing, exhibiting superior performance, specifically in more intense motion scenarios. For RR estimation, the research work introduces OPOIRES—an end-to-end automated algorithm developed after a comprehensive understanding of respiratory-induced motion (RIM) behavior in the frontal body of numerous individuals. The approach adopts a distinctive local points-of-interest (POIs)-based methodology, mitigating potential destructive mixing of RIM associated with distinctive locations due to phase and amplitude discrepancies. Experimental results demonstrate high accuracy in RR estimation and significant tolerance to factors such as illumination variation and video compression. In conclusion, these findings affirm the applicability of the proposed techniques in multiple realistic everyday scenarios, supporting their potential integration into deployable applications.
Research Endeavours (Industry):
During my Master's program (M.Tech), I gained valuable hands-on experience through a 9-month internship at the Electronics Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). My project focused on exploring strategies to achieve higher range resolution in radar systems, particularly Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars. This experience culminated in my Master's thesis titled "RFI Elimination and Pulse Compression Using Narrow Band Waveforms."
Present Work:
Contactless Heart and Respiratory Rates Monitoring using an RGB Camera in Realistic Scenarios:
Demonstrated significant success in terms of accuracy and operational speed, indicating strong potential for further optimization and commercialization. This technology presents a compelling opportunity for private venture funding to support the development of practical software and applications, ultimately leading to market-ready solutions.
For a comprehensive overview of my research projects, please visit my Project Page. Note: This page is currently under construction and will be available soon.
Camera-Based Contactless Health Monitoring: What it Does
How it is done
A common Application setup (Only for illustration not strict requirement)
Potential Applications & Market Opportunities
Mission and Vision
Since childhood, I was consumed by an insatiable curiosity about the universe. Questions about the origin of life, the nature of consciousness, and our place in the cosmos captivated my imagination. I found myself pondering the intricate interplay between matter and energy that led to the evolution of complex systems, including our minds and bodies. This philosophical exploration laid the foundation for my intellectual journey. From a young age, I realized that science offered the most promising avenue to unravel these mysteries. Thus, I committed myself to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge in this field. Rather than pursuing basic science, I chose technology, recognizing its intrinsic connection to scientific advancement. Technology, I believe, is the practical application of scientific discoveries intended for human benefit. Moreover, I understood that technological constraints and scientific exploration are interdependent, each shaping the trajectory of the other.
In this vein, I completed my undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela. Subsequently, I pursued a master's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering with a specialization in Radar and Communication from the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, a research institute under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. During my master's program, I gained valuable experience in signal processing for radar systems. This expertise was further solidified through a project internship at the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), DRDO.
Furthermore, I realized the importance of health monitoring technologies and how they could positively influence the lives of ordinary citizens in a low-income country like India by promoting easily accessible, comfortable, and affordable health monitoring solutions. Driven by a desire to contribute to this field, I enrolled in the PhD program at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela to work on a novel and innovative emerging contactless health monitoring technology. My journey has been marked by significant challenges, including my own life-threatening encounter during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent my mother's diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer. These experiences, filled with ups and downs and disheartening emotional moments, have further strengthened my motivation and solidified my career and life objectives. Despite these challenges, I successfully created innovative methods to assess vital health parameters such as heart rate and respiratory rate using an ordinary RGB camera, making significant contributions to the scientific community. I recently completed my PhD in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the same institution.
Presently, I am Looking forward to the opportunity of getting associated with a state-of-the-art institution as an Assistant Professor; I am filled with conviction and determination. My immediate goal is to secure an academic position that allows me to contribute to society through both the academic community and industry. I aim to play a significant role in further developing RGB camera-based health monitoring technology. This includes expanding its capabilities to capture a broader range of health parameters and refining it for mainstream use, enabling its application in various areas, including early disease detection, biometrics, and Video forensics etc.
In the short term, I plan to focus on expanding my research portfolio by securing patents, publishing in high-impact journals, and collaborating with other researchers on various interdisciplinary and applied research projects in multiple application areas that can improve the quality of human life. Additionally, I intend to design and teach courses that inspire the next generation of engineers and researchers, integrating my research findings into the curriculum to provide students with cutting-edge knowledge and skills.
Over the next five to seven years, I envision myself taking on leadership roles within the academic community, including leading research groups, mentoring the next generation of PhD students, and contributing to the development of new academic programs. I also aim to secure research grants and funding to support my projects, particularly those with the potential to transform sectors like healthcare, defence, agriculture, energy, transportation, and space technology.
In the long term, I aspire to become a recognized expert in multiple application areas aligned with my current and future competencies. I aim to influence research directions in these fields, contribute to policymaking, and foster strong industry partnerships to translate academic discoveries into practical solutions. By expanding the frontiers of knowledge through scientific exploration, I seek to address fundamental questions about existence and contribute to a more sustainable future for humanity and the planet.
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